Everything about Tallinn totally explained
Tallinn (historically known by the
German and
Danish name
Reval or the
Polish name Rewal, among
other names) is the
capital and largest
city in
Estonia. It lies on the northern coast of Estonia on the
Gulf of Finland. The city is an important industrial, political and cultural center and
seaport.
Etymology
In 1219
Valdemar II of Denmark, leading the Danish Fleet in connection with the
Livonian Crusade, landed in an Estonian town of Lindanisse at (Latin)
Revelia (Estonian)
Revala or
Rävala, the adjacent ancient Estonian county. The Danish Army defeated the Estonians at the
Battle of Lyndanisse. The
German and
Swedish name Reval (Latin:
Revalia) originated from the ancient Estonian name of the county.
The origin of the name "Tallinn(a)" is certain to be
Estonian, although the original meaning of the name is debated. It is usually thought to be derived from "
Taani-linn(a)" (meaning "
Danish-castle/town";
Latin:
Castrum Danorum) after the Danes built the castle in place of the Estonian stronghold at Lindanisse. However, it could also have come from "
tali-linna" ("winter-castle/town"), or "
talu-linna" ("house/farmstead-castle/town"). The element
-linna, like
Germanic -burg and
Slavic -grad /
-gorod, originally meant "fortress" but is used as a suffix in the formation of town names.
Tallinna replaced the previously used official German name in 1918, when Estonia became independent. In the early 1920s, the official spelling of the city name was changed from Tallinna to
Tallinn, making the new name notable since Estonian-language place names always end with a vowel (denoting the
genitive case). However, somewhat confusingly to non-Estonian speakers, the word Tallinna still appears in modern Tallinn as the
-a suffix can denote the genitive case (thus
Tallinna Lennujaam translates literally as Tallinn's Airport).
Historical names
The
German and
Danish name Reval originated from the 13th century Estonian name of the adjacent Estonian county of
Rävala. Other known ancient historical names of Tallinn include variations of the Estonian
Lindanisse (see
Battle of Lyndanisse), such as
Lyndanisse in
Danish,
Lindanäs in Swedish, and
Ledenets in
Old East Slavic.
Kesoniemi in
Finnish and
Kolyvan (Колывань) in Old East Slavic are other historical names.
The Ancient Arabic and Russian name
Kaluria was first mentioned in
1154 when the
Arab geographer
Al-Idrisi used it in his map of the world.
History
The southern coast of the Gulf of Finland is thought to have been settled by
Finnic-speaking tribes already in the
2nd millennium BC.
Supposedly, in 1154 Tallinn was placed on the world map of the
Almoravid cartographer
Muhammad al-Idrisi as
Koluria.
As an important port for trade between
Russia and
Scandinavia, it became a target for the expansion of the
Teutonic Knights and Kingdom of
Denmark during the period of
Northern Crusades in the beginning of the 13th century when
Christianity was forcibly imposed on the local population. Danish rule of Tallinn and Northern Estonia started in 1219.
In 1285 the city became the northernmost member of the
Hanseatic League - a mercantile and military alliance of
German-dominated cities in
Northern Europe. The Danes sold Tallinn along with their other land possessions in northern Estonia to the
Teutonic Knights in 1346. Medieval Tallinn enjoyed a strategic position at the crossroads of trade between Western and Northern Europe and Russia. The city, with a population of 8,000, was very well fortified with
city walls and 66 defence towers.
A weather-wane, the figure of an old warrior called
Old Thomas was put on top of the spire of the Tallinn's Town Hall in
1530 that became the symbol for the city.
With the start of the
Protestant Reformation the
German influence became even stronger as the city was converted to
Lutheranism. In 1561 Tallinn politically became a
dominion of
Sweden.
During the
Great Northern War the Swedish troops based in Tallinn capitulated to
Imperial Russia in 1710, but the local self-government institutions (Magistracy of Reval and
Chivalry of Estonia) retained their cultural and economical autonomy within Imperial Russia as the
Duchy of Estonia. The Magistracy of Reval was abolished in 1889. The 19th century brought industrialization of the city and the port kept its importance. During the last decades of the century
Russification measures became stronger.
On
24 February 1918, the Independence Manifesto was proclaimed in Tallinn, followed by
Imperial German occupation and a
war of independence with Russia. On
2 February 1920, the
Tartu Peace Treaty was signed with Soviet Russia, wherein Russia acknowledged the independence of the Estonian Republic. Tallinn became the capital of an independent Estonia. After
World War II started, Estonia was occupied by the
Soviet Union (USSR) in 1940, and later occupied by
Nazi Germany from 1941-44. After Nazi retreat in 1944, it was occupied by the USSR again. After
annexation into the Soviet Union, Tallinn became the capital of the
Estonian SSR.
During the
1980 Summer Olympics a regatta was held at Pirita, north-east of central Tallinn. Many buildings, like the hotel "Olümpia", the new Main Post Office building, and the Regatta Center, were built for the Olympics.
In August 1991 an independent democratic Estonian state was re-established and a period of quick development to a modern European capital ensued. Tallinn became the capital of a
de facto independent country once again on
August 20,
1991.
Tallinn has historically consisted of three parts:
- The Toompea (Domberg) or "Cathedral Hill", which was the seat of the central authority: first the Danish captains, then the komturs of the Teutonic Order, and Swedish and Russian governors. It was until 1877 a separate town (Dom zu Reval), the residence of the aristocracy; it's today the seat of the Estonian government and many embassies and residencies.
- The Old Town, which is the old Hanseatic town, the "city of the citizens", wasn't administratively united with Cathedral Hill until the late 19th century. It was the centre of the medieval trade on which it grew prosperous.
- The Estonian town forms a crescent to the south of the Old Town, where the Estonians came to settle. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that ethnic Estonians replaced the local Baltic Germans as the majority amongst the residents of Tallinn.
Historically, the city has been attacked, sacked, razed and pillaged on numerous occasions. Although extensively bombed by Soviet air forces during the latter stages of World War II, much of the medieval Old Town still retains its charm. The Tallinn Old Town (including
Toompea) became a
UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1997.
At the end of the 15th century a new 159 m high
Gothic spire was built for
St. Olav's Church. Between 1549 and 1625 it was the
tallest building in the world. After several fires and following rebuilding, its overall height is now 123 m.
Geography
Tallinn is situated on the southern coast of the
Gulf of Finland, in north-western Estonia.
The largest lake in Tallinn is
Lake Ülemiste (covers 9.6
km²). It is the main source of the city's drinking water.
Lake Harku is the second largest lake within the borders of Tallinn and its area is 1.6 km². Unlike many other large towns, the only significant river in Tallinn is located in Pirita (a city district counted as a suburb). The river valley is a protected area because of its natural beauty.
A
limestone cliff runs through the city. It is exposed, for instance, at
Toompea and Lasnamäe. However, Toompea isn't a part of the cliff, but a separate hill.
The highest point of Tallinn, at 64 meters above the sea level, is situated in the district of
Nõmme, in the south-west of the city.
The length of the
coastline is 46 kilometres. It comprises 3 bigger
peninsulas: Kopli peninsula, Paljassaare peninsula and Kakumäe peninsula.
Administrative districts
For
local government purposes, Tallinn is subdivided into 8 administrative
districts (
Estonian:
linnaosad, sg. -
linnaosa). The district governments are city institutions that fulfill, in the territory of their district, the functions assigned to them by Tallinn
legislation and
statutes.
Each district government is managed by an Elder (
Estonian:
linnaosavanem). He or she's appointed by the City Government on the nomination of the
Mayor and after having heard the opinion of the Administrative Councils. The function of the Administrative Councils is to recommend, to the City Government and Commissions of the City Council, how the districts should be administered.
Population
| Year |
Population |
| 1372 |
3,250 |
| 1772 |
6,954 |
| 1816 |
12,000 |
| 1834 |
15,300 |
| 1851 |
24,000 |
| 1881 |
45,900 |
| 1897 |
58,800 |
| 1925 |
119,800 |
| 1959 |
283,071 |
| 1989 |
478,974 |
| 1996 |
427,500 |
| 2000 |
400,378 |
| 2005 |
401,694 |
| 2006 |
399,108 |
| 2007 |
400,911 |
Tallinn's population is registered 400,200 (as of May 2007).
According to
Eurostat, the statistical agency of the
European Union, of all EU member states' capital cities, Tallinn has the largest number of non-EU nationals: 27.8% of its population are not EU citizens. This is because planned immigration from other
Soviet republics during the period of
Soviet control (1944-1991) brought large numbers of non-Estonians, mostly
Russians, to Tallinn and other areas of Northern Estonia. These immigrants and their offspring don't qualify automatically for Estonian citizenship.
In addition to the native
Estonian language (which is of the
Finno-Ugric group, closely related to the
Finnish language),
Russian,
Finnish and
English are widely understood in Tallinn.
Economy
In addition to longtime functions as seaport and capital city, Tallinn has seen development of an
information technology sector in recent years; in its
13 December 2005, edition,
The New York Times characterized Estonia as "a sort of
Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea." One of Tallinn's sister cities is the Silicon Valley town of
Los Gatos, California.
Skype is one of the best-known of several Tallinn IT start-ups, and a first
venture capital firm was founded in 2005. Many are housed in the Soviet-era
Institute of Cybernetics, which is said to been one of the seeds for Estonian adoption of computing technology. Despite this, the most important economic sectors of Tallinn are the light, textile, and food industry, as well as the service and government sector. There is a small fleet of
ocean going-trawlers that operate out of Tallinn.
Education
Tallinn is the location of many institutions of higher education and science, including:
International University Audentes
Estonian Academy of Music
Estonian Academy of Art
Estonian Academy of State Defence
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Institute of Theology
Estonian Business School
Estonian IT College
Estonian Maritime Academy
Tallinn University (old name Tallinn Pedagogical University)
Tallinn University of Technology
Tourism
Since independence, improving air and sea transport links with Western Europe and Estonia's accession to the European Union have made Tallinn easily accessible to tourists. The picturesque old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the current novelty of the destination attract many tourists and facilities (hotels, restaurants) have developed to meet their needs. English is widely spoken within the tourist areas.
Estonia has made rapid economic progress since independence and this is reflected in local prices. Although not extortionate, neither are prices as cheap as in other former Eastern Bloc countries.
The local tourist office sells the "Tallinn Card" which gives the holder free local public transport and entry to most attractions. Although the economics of this may be marginal, it's convenient to use. Local walking tours offer short-cuts to understanding the city.
The main attractions are in the two old towns (Lower Town and Toompea) which are both easily explored on foot. Eastern districts around Pirita and Kadriorg are also worth visiting and the Estonian Open Air Museum (Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum) near Rocca al Mare, west of the city, preserves aspects of Estonian rural culture and architecture.
Toompea
This area was once a separate town (Dom zu Reval), the residence of the Chivalry of Estonia, Roman Catholic bishops of Tallinn (until 1561) and Lutheran superintendents of Estonia, occupying an easily defensible site overlooking the surrounding districts. The major attractions are the walls and various bastions of Castrum Danorum, the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (built during the period of Russian Empire, the church was built on a site that formerly housed a statue of Martin Luther) and the Lutheran Cathedral (Toomkirik).
Lower Town
This area is one of the best preserved old towns in Europe and the authorities are continuing its rehabilitation. Major sights include Raekoja plats (Town Hall square), the town walls and towers (notably "Fat Margaret" and "Kiek in de Kök (Tallinn)") and St Olaf church tower (124 m).
Kadriorg
This is 2 kilometres east of the centre and is served by buses and trams. The former palace of Peter the Great, built just after the Great Northern War, now houses (part of) the Art Museum of Estonia, presidential residence and the surrounding grounds include formal gardens and woodland.
The new residence of the Art Museum of Estonia: KUMU (Kunstimuuseum, Art Museum) was built several years ago.
Pirita
This coastal district is a further 2 kilometres north-east of Kadriorg. The marina was built for the Moscow Olympics of 1980, but for the less capable, boats can be hired on the Pirita river. Two kilometres inland are the Botanic Gardens and the Tallinn television tower.
Transport
City transport
The city operates an extensive system of bus (63 lines), tram (4 lines) and trolley-bus (8 lines) routes to all districts. Fares are reasonably priced, and a flat-fare system is used. Payment is made either by pre-purchase of tickets at street-side kiosks or by a purchase from the transport vehicle.
Air
Tallinn Airport is about four kilometres from Raekoja plats (Town Hall square). There is a local bus connection between the airport and the edge of the city centre (bus no. 2). The nearest railway station Ülemiste is only 1.5 km from airport. The terminal building is a small but modern, convenient and clean building.
Several airlines (for exampleCity Airline, CSA Czech Airlines, easyJet, Estonian Air, Finnair, Finncomm Airlines, FlyLal, Flynordic, KLM, LOT, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Air Baltic and SAS) operate between Tallinn and European cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Kiev, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Prague, Simferopol, Stockholm, Warsaw, Riga, Rome, Vilnius, Oslo, Barcelona and, in a regular charter basis, to Sharm el Sheik, Dubai, Phuket, Tenerife etc. Domestic flights to Kuressaare and Kärdla are operated by Avies.
The construction of the new section of the airport has begun in 2007 and is scheduled to end in summer 2008.
There used to be an hourly helicopter service to and from Helsinki operated by Copterline. This route was advertised as the fastest capital-to-capital link in the world (one way took 18 minutes). Copterline lost one of their helicopters in crash near Tallinn. This, together with decreasing amount of passengers and mechanical trouble with the one remaining helicopter, led to a decision to cancel the helicopter route. Flights will start again in 2008 with a new fleet. The company is calling the inactivity as a temporary break on its web page. The Copterline Tallinn terminal is located adjacent to Linnahall, only five minutes from the city center.
Rail and road
The Edelaraudtee railway company operates train services from Tallinn to Tartu, Valga, Türi, Viljandi, Tapa, Narva, Orava, and Pärnu. Buses are also available to all these and various other destinations in Estonia, as well as to Saint Petersburg in Russia and Riga in Latvia. The GO Rail company operates a daily international sleeper train service between Tallinn-Moscow and Tallinn-Saint Petersburg.
Tallinn also has a commuter rail service running from Tallinn's main rail station (Balti jaam) in two main directions: east (Aegviidu) and to several western destinations (Pääsküla, Keila, Riisipere, Paldiski, Klooga and Kloogaranna). These are electrified lines and are used by the Elektriraudtee railroad company. The trains are a mixture of modernised older Soviet EMU's and newly built units. The first electrified train service in Tallinn was opened in 1924 from Tallinn to Pääsküla, a distance of 11.2 kilometres.
The Rail Baltica project, which will link Tallinn with Warsam via Latvia and Lithuania, will connect Tallinn with the rest of the European rail network. A tunnel has been proposed between between Tallinn and Helsinki, though it remains at a planning phase.
The Via Baltica motorway (part of European route E67 from Helsinki to Prague) connects Tallinn to the Lithuanian/Polish border through Latvia.
Frequent and affordable long-distance bus routes connect Tallinn with other parts of Estonia.
Ferry
» See also: Ports of the Baltic Sea
Several ferry operators, Viking Line, Superseacat, Linda Line Express, Tallink, Eckerö Line and Nordic Jet Line, connect Tallinn to
Helsinki (Finland)
Åland (Finland)
Stockholm (Sweden)
Rostock (Germany)
The most popular passenger lines connect Tallinn to Helsinki (80 kilometres north of Tallinn) in approximately 90 minutes by fast ferries or 2-3.5 hours by cruiseferries.
Sister cities
Tallinn participates in international town twinning schemes to foster good international relations. Partners include:
Dartford, United Kingdom
Los Gatos, United States
Schwerin, Germany
Kiel, Germany
Ghent, Belgium
Gothenburg, Sweden
Malmö, Sweden
Riga, Latvia
Annapolis, United States
Groningen, Netherlands
Łomża, Poland
Gdańsk, Poland
Gdynia, Poland
Białystok, Poland
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Tallinn also has a mutual friendship with the city of Portland, Oregon, United States and Kotka, FinlandFurther Information
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